Assessing the Impact of a Weather and Climate Curriculum on Youth Science Comprehension

Autor/inn/en	Dormody, Thomas J.; Skelton, Peter; Rodriguez, Gabrielle; Dubois, David W.; VanLeeuwen, Dawn
Titel	Assessing the Impact of a Weather and Climate Curriculum on Youth Science Comprehension
Quelle	In: Journal of Agricultural Education, 62 (2021) 3, S.153-166 (14 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1042-0541
Schlagwörter	Weather; Climate; Comprehension; Science Education; Experiential Learning; Inquiry; Active Learning; Grade 8; Middle School Students; Science Process Skills; Knowledge Level; Thinking Skills; Nevada (Las Vegas) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Wetter; Klima; Verstehen; Verständnis; Naturwissenschaftliche Bildung; Experiental learning; Erfahrungsorientiertes Lernen; Aktives Lernen; School year 08; 8. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 08; Middle school; Middle schools; Student; Students; Mittelschule; Mittelstufenschule; Schüler; Schülerin; Wissensbasis; Denkfähigkeit
Abstract	The researchers developed a youth weather and climate curriculum using a science comprehension model that integrates experiential and inquiry-based learning approaches with developing science knowledge, science skills, and reasoning abilities. The purpose of this study was to pilot the curriculum to determine if it would improve youth science comprehension. Participants were 8th grade, predominately Hispanic and economically disadvantaged youths, at a middle school in Las Vegas, New Mexico served by an innovative Extension youth agricultural science center. Youths were taught five weather and climate science lessons that included setting up experiments and developing and testing hypotheses for local climate trends from online weather station data. After being taught the curriculum, youths improved in overall science comprehension and its subdimensions of science knowledge, science skills, and reasoning abilities. Their science comprehension also improved for four of five lessons. The number of youths preferring learning by doing over other learning modalities also increased from pretest to posttest. Youths most frequently mentioned the experiments, that the earth is getting warmer, and the greenhouse effect and gasses when asked what interested them about the lessons. Pilot test results were used to strengthen the curriculum before making it available to educators online. Further research is recommended to establish the curriculum's impact on science comprehension retention and on science comprehension development when the curriculum is used as part of an elementary to secondary learning progression. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	American Association for Agricultural Education. P.O. Box 7607, Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, Raleigh, NC 27695. Web site: http://www.aaaeonline.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01